BIG CYPRESS — A barefooted man in rolled up jeans crouches down on all fours in front of an alligator. In the shade of a moss-draped tree and vendors’ tents, audience members gather to watch as Billy Walker eases his hand into the open jaws of an alligator.

Walker is a Seminole alligator wrestler and has been for most of his life. His family told him, “If you want to become a gator wrestler, you gotta put your life into it.”

Now, Walker is easing into the retirement era of his career and entering a less hands-on role with shows. He spoke about his decision on May 10 at a Mother’s Day event with live music and vendors on the Big Cypress Reservation.

“I always wanted to be a gator wrestler, and I’m a gator wrestler but now it’s time I put it down. Other thing is, I am 50 years old, and it’s time to move on,” Walker said.

Within the Seminole Tribe of Florida, alligator wrestling has evolved from practical reasons to performance over the years. The origin story of it varies depending on who you ask. One version, according to Walker and other accounts, says that a passerby witnessed someone who was Seminole capturing an alligator in the wild and threw money at them.

“It makes for a great show,” the person said.

He said something people misunderstand about alligator wrestling is if they are hurting the animal and the history of what it means to the tribe.

“Sometimes we get people that come in and [say], ‘are you hurting the alligator?’ Well, you know, I do [no more] hurt that somebody else done by putting a road in the middle of the Everglades. You know, that killed … millions of alligators, and millions of animals,” Walker said. “And they don’t understand, if you kill the alligator and the animals and kill everything, you would kill the Indians too.”

Walker started learning more alligator wrestling stunts to make a bit of money and teach Seminole culture at the same time.

“When we were younger, we didn’t have a lot of money,” Walker said. “So, a lot of the tourism stuff that we do, like the arts of craft and wrestling alligators and stuff, that’s how we started earning our keep.”

Just before the May 10 show, Walker unloaded an alligator from the back of his truck. He alternates between touching the alligator with a long stick and his hands, appearing to feel out the animal’s reactions.

“You can’t really train the alligator, the alligator trains you,” Walker said.

One of the most notable memories he has of alligator wrestling was in Hollywood. Before a show for Tribal Fair in the early 2000s, he walked by the alligator pits, talking loudly. He said as soon as the alligators heard his voice they started hissing and thrashing.

The people he was with said, “They recognize you, really. They know you’re back.”

They asked if he was sure he wanted to wrestle for Tribal Fair. He said yes.

“They said, ‘They never really did this until they heard your voice.’ … But I had wrestled all of them alligators, and I, back then, I knew what gators did what. Just by looking at them, I could tell which gators did what and what show back then.”

Eventually, during the May 10 show, Walker transitioned to other stunts ranging from putting his hand in the alligator’s mouth to sitting atop its back with its jaws tucked under only his chin and his arms held out.

During one stunt in the show, he is nearly eye-level with the alligator. Walker moved his hand in between the rows of sharp teeth. Once Walker’s hand was completely inside the open jaws, the alligator snapped its mouth shut just as he artfully snatched his hand out.

He joked that it was a good nail trim.

Walker discussed what alligator wrestling will look like for him now. Though he is entering a less physically active role, he will continue mentoring others and speaking at shows.

“I’m getting older, and I’ve been doing it for over 30 years. I think it’s time I did some cultural stuff, some studies.”

Walker is currently mentoring Thomlynn Billie, and he teaches his son, Jonah. If someone wants to learn, Walker said they should hang out with him for a few days before anything else.

“There’s a lot of teachings that we got to share, legends and stuff, like morals of life, that I have to share with you, and then show you,” Walker said.

From his career, he wants people to remember to hold onto their heritage.

“I have pride in what I do and also tradition and culture. Our roots, … that’s everything that I put out there,” Walker said. “You know, we still here, we’re still living. If you do wander off, go check other things out, come back, get rooted every now and then. And know where you come from, because that tells a lot about who you are.”

“And I believe if you don’t hold on to your roots, you’ll be like a tumbleweed, you’ll go away. You’re nobody,” Walker said. “So, hold on to your roots and who you are. … That’s why I wrestle the alligator.”